Everton turned in a superb performance on Saturday evening as they beat rivals Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield.
The Toffees took an early lead as Richarlison fired home from a James Rodriguez pass, and then added a second late on with Gylfi Sigurdsson scoring from the spot.
Liverpool have been dismal of late, but take nothing away from Everton as they went to Anfield and picked up all three points in a dream derby display.
The platform for the win was offered by a strong defensive display, as Everton managed to keep Liverpool’s famous attacking trio quiet in the final third.
One of the standout performers was Michael Keane, as the England international stood strong in a battling display.
£30m ace Keane racked up 13 clearances in a dominant performance at the back, whilst also blocking one cross, blocking one shot and winning three aerials.
His best moment came when he made a desperate last-ditch block to deny Sadio Mane a shot on goal, preserving Everton’s clean sheet in the process.
Pundit Garth Crooks has now told BBC Sport that the block on Mane was ‘out of this world’, claiming it was the best one-footed tackle you could wish to see in what was an ‘outstanding’ performance.
“One of the main reasons for this latest defeat was the performance of Michael Keane,” said Crooks. “This was without doubt the best game I’ve seen him have for Everton. His recovery after Andrew Robertson squeezed a reverse pass through his legs for Sadio Mane was out of this world.”
“The Senegal international was about to pull the trigger when Keane made the best one-footed tackle you’ll ever see and at a crucial time of the match. This was an outstanding performance by Keane and a historic one for Everton,” he added.
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